“Debt: the first 5000 years” makes a convincing history-based argument that the barter economy never existed, and that it’s an invention of economists post fact

“Debt: the first 5000 years” makes a convincing history-based argument that the barter economy never existed, and that it’s an invention of economists post facto to justify the existence of money. Basically people in small societies would be in debt to each other and they would use that as a way to conduct “trade”.